DANTE D'ANGELO

       Born 1998 in San Francisco, Danté D'Angelo first fell in love with music at 4 years old on a piano in the reception area of his church in San Francisco.  He began experimenting by ear and always ran to any piano he saw.  In 4th grade he began learning the drums, and the following year, he joined the school band playing clarinet and oboe.  In middle school, he took up the saxophone and has stuck with it ever since.  He also composed his first piece for Wind Ensemble that summer and had it performed by the summer program's wind ensemble.

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       He continued playing saxophone throughout highschool as picking up the guitar and cello.  He started his own band writing original lyrics and music for the band which was performed at small venues in San Jose.  During his Junior and Senior years, he was accepted into the community college to study music and complete college level GE requirements.  He continued composing and performing with his personal band as well as debuting an original composition with the college's wind ensemble during a Spring Concert.

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       He transferred to Sonoma State to complete his undergraduate degree and graduated Magna Cum Laude at age 20 with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education emphasizing in Jazz Studies.  He received invaluable lessons from Director of Jazz Studies Dr. Doug Leibinger pertaining to Jazz Theory, Arranging, and Improv.  The following year he earned a graduate level teaching credential while beginning to perform at jazz jams in the San Francisco Area.

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       His professional career as a Jazz Saxophonist began the following year with the Michael Bee Jazz Quintet.  The group performed weekly across the Bay Area and hosted Jazz Jams at the Savannah Club in San Carlos.  Danté also had a few performances alongside local legend Marcus Shelby.  Pretty soon the groups he performed with were regularly praised on the KCSM Jazz Radio Station based in San Francisco.

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       Later that year began the Covid-19 shutdowns, and throughout the year the music scene began to crumble.  Many Jazz Clubs, including Savannah Jazz, shutdown never to reopen.  Being so early on in his career, a lot of connections seemed to die out that year.  When the shutdowns were announced to continue through the following year, he decided it was time to go.

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       In January of 2021, Danté his car with his dog, Amos, and a few belongings and set out on a roadtrip across the country.  Over the course of a couple months, he explored Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah.  He visited a lot of music venues and got to perform with local musicians throughout the journey.  But the town that stuck out more than the rest was Coeur d'Alene in Northern Idaho.  The community and way of life drew him in, and in March of 2021 he moved to the area.

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       Just a few months after moving, he felt a need to give back to the community that gave him a new home, so he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.  Serving as a Field Artillery Cannoneer, his background of teaching helped him quickly progress through the ranks and by the end of his second year of serving he had become a Howitzer Section Chief and was promoted to Sergeant.  He is still serving as a member of the United States Marine Corps Reserves.

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       Upon returning to the area, he started a band called Bourbon Roulette, and began focusing on singing while still playing guitar and saxophone.  Joined by keyboardist Brantly Bacon, bassist Bobby Meador, and drummer Quinton Kamara, Danté wrote dozens of songs for this group.  As the group cordially parted with the other members pursuing a career in Portland, Danté continued performing as a solo artist in the North Idaho scene.

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       Determined to recreate the sound of a full band, Danté's one man band idea came to fruition.  With four foot pedals to play the drums, looper pedal, bass pedal, and harmony pedal, he built a platform that allows him to play the Drums, Bass, Guitar, and sing all at once while adding in spontaneous Vocal Harmonies and Saxophone solos.  This platform has picked up the most traction in live performance settings as a result of the unique set up.  He has traveled across the Pacific Northwest accumulating hundreds of performances since the concept's formation in 2023.  

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       Still dedicated to teaching the art of Jazz, he hosts the only Jazz Jam in Northern Idaho every other week with local jazz musicians with the goal of keeping Jazz alive in the upcoming generations.  The jam consistently packs the house with listeners and supporters and features local high school and college musicians who sign up to play jazz standards.  He also teaches music at Holy Family Catholic School in Coeur d'Alene Idaho were he has started a Big Band open to the 4th-8th graders.